Recently I was contacted by a very successful Internet marketer who asked me what I wouldsuggest to someone who wanted to create a cult-like following.This is right down my ally so I gave him some very good advice that he couldn't wait to put intoaction but the question got me thinking. What steps are there for anyone who wants people towant his/her attention and wisdom?The result are 10 ways to build a cult-like following. Of course each one of them could be a bookin itself but here goes.

1. Initiation vs. Instruction

There is a marked difference between learning by instruction and learning by initiation.Most people give instruction. This is nothing more than stating facts and teach processes. Anygood teacher does that as well as most bad ones.Learning by initiation is about creating an experience that makes the learning personal andvisceral to the student. A good example of that is the 1984 movie “The Karate Kid” . On the onehand you have the macho western karate instructor who taught his students by instruction in askill 'n' drill process. On the other hand you have the character played by Pat Marito who says thathe will teach Ralph Macchios' character karate in exchange for doing chores. But the chores mustbe done in a certain way “This way wax on. This way wax off.” Only later does the young herofind out that there was a method to his instructors madness and when he figured it out it madecomplete sense to him as if struck by a lightening bolt.There are many things that you could simply tell someone and they would intellectuallyunderstand but they wouldn't “get it” as an insight. They would only see it as information. Theresult is that they may use it or they may not.Teaching by initiation means holding back on simply telling what the student wants to know andinstead provide an experience where the student “gets it” on their own.The subjective experience of the student is that the lesson is much more valuable because 1) theyhad to work for it and 2) it is felt more personally.

2. Being Accessible

Someone once told me that “There are no long lines for the guru at the bottom of the hill.” Making yourself scarce adds perceived value but it also distances you from the masses. If youwant a cult-like following you need access to the masses otherwise you're just an ivory towerwannabe.There is an ingenious compromise.

Be accessible as a person but present your knowledge and wisdom as being rare, expensive,mysterious, and only for those who are truly ready for it.This compromise allows you to build deep personal bonds with people yet have them want moreor your presence... as well as be willing to pay for it.Keep in mind that one cult leader, 2000 years ago, would speak to anyone who would listen buthe granted his most sacred attention to his 12 closest disciples.You can add to this compromise by having “special times” when you are not accessible to anyone.You can tell people that you are meditating, or doing your “spiritual practice” but you don't haveto say anything. It's the mystery of

why

you are absent that you want to cultivate.

3. Imply Secret Knowledge

The role of simply remaining calm and silent will recur again in this essay so I can't understate it.Here is where silence is worth a 1000 words. Saying things like “Hmmm... There are 100 possiblesolutions to that within your own mind.” and nothing else implies things that you know and thatthey should know.

4. Remaining calm as if all-knowing

Any sharp change in your emotional state, with the exception of joy and laughter, should beminimized. Any leader/teacher who goes on an angry rant is demonstrating their own lack of control. If you truly have control it should be demonstrated by an unshakable calm as if everything is happening just as you knew it would.I've always remembered that the scariest martial artist are the ones that don't talk or threaten...they calmly do what they have to do and walk away.

5. Create a detached involvement as if “you” are in a “higher place”

In doing this people will look to you as if there is something more to you than your mere physicalpresence.

6. Connect deeply with the individual

Here rapport is vital. When you are with people you need to put aside all of your distractions,obligations and problems to focus completely on the person or people you to whom you arespeaking.

7. “Chunk Up” whenever possible

This may be a bit abstract to grasp but it's important to creating an appeal because it forcespeople to think in bigger terms. When you do consistently if gives the impression that you arealways thinking bigger than them. “Chunking Up” is an NLP term that means referring to something that contains what is spokenabout as a subset . It can also refer to something that controls or has a larger reach than thetopic at hand.As an example when a person asks “Do you enjoy adult beverages?” a chunked up responsewould be “There are many adult pleasures I enjoy.” Here, “beverages” is a subset of “pleasures”.